210161 SE M9: East European Studies (2022W)

Russia is one of the largest oil and gas exporters in the world. The country repeatedly uses this wealth of raw materials to exert political influence on neighboring states such as Belarus and Ukraine, but also on the European Union. Since the beginning of the war, debates about an embargo on fossil fuels have gained importance. For example, the EU plans to expand its energy exports from Azerbaijan and Central Asia
(Kazakhstan) in the future to completely replace Russian supplies.
However, increased commodity trade between the EU and these countries has deeper implications, as there is a risk that further post-Soviet crises, such as the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, could escalate again. Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, it has become clear that the entire post-Soviet space is characterized by multiple crises and conflicts. The aim of the seminar is to analyze these in more detail. The focus will be on how energy resources are used as a means of exerting influence. In a first step, the seminar participants will get an overview of different theories of resource-based development. The dominant research paradigm of the resource curse will be contrasted with the debate on resource extractivism. Subsequently, the development models in individual post-Soviet states and the underlying power relations will be elaborated. The question of what alternatives exist to commodity-based development in the capitalist world market is debated. The third part focuses on the manifold conflicts and crises in the post-Soviet space.
The consolidation of the commodity-based development model in Russia in the 2000s is accompanied by regular conflicts with Belarus and Ukraine (gas wars). The economic crisis and especially the Western sanctions since the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine represent a turning point in the recent development of the region. This is because the Putin administration has since been pursuing a policy of import substitution in order to reduce dependence on the raw materials sector. Another issue is the future development of Ukraine and other states that are heavily dependent on energy imports and the impact of a possible EU embargo on Russian energy sources.